Is the 240 EFI a good Motor?

Was on the jet boat forum, those guys love the 240 EFI (2003 speedster 16")
But searching this site it seems like there may be major problems with the merc 2 stroke motors. We are looking at a 2003 Speedster 240 EFI, with 50 hours on it for 11800.00. Any advice?
Thanks

Depends on who you ask...

The Merc M-2 engines are reliable engines. They served their purpose while in service with Seadoo. Rookie101 is our "unofficial" Merc. M-2 mechanic in the forum. He's got his and I don't think he'd give it up.

The only problems I've posted with these boats is they are hybrid. Which means, two different types systems coming together to form one. This engine is very expensive to replace these days. I have links in a sticky for parts, since Seadoo doesn't sell them. You have to have the hull components serviced by Seadoo and the motor serviced by Mercury making it difficult to get everything from one place.

Some members have reported that when they had a problem, they took it to Seadoo and they said they didn't work on the Mercury motor and when taking it to Mercury, they said they didn't work on "Seadoos'".....so, it's something I'd research before buying.

Questions to ask yourself. Is there a dealer local that I can get to service it if I need it? Where can I buy parts from? If the engine blows, can I afford the money to replace it (the Rotax can be purchased as a remanafactured engine from SBT)?

The last M-2 used in the Seadoo's was the 250 hp direct injected engine. But, after this last 6 cylinder model, Rotax came out with a 255 hp, 3 cylinder engine. So, they took that top horsepower spot back over from Mercury.

...........if you like it, then you'll want it. It's not a bad boat. It could just be an expensive boat to upkeep if it isn't in great shape when you get it.

Looking for tips and advice, researched articles on carbs, spark plugs and general maintenance can be found at Snipes Korner. You can also follow me on "Twitter".

Quality parts at low prices, visit Seadoowarehouse right here in our own forum. Please PM me if you are having a problem finding what you need!

Is your jet ski fast? Do you want your XP or RXP to stand out? I know a place that has what you need to make it faster. Make your jetsksi a muscle craft, not just the ordinary, standard stock ski.

Ever wonder what the inside of your 787cc engine looks like. Want to identify the parts, check out my thread on the 787. I'm sure there is something for everyone who want to learn about the internal parts.

Mercury

Everything Seadsnipe says is right on the money. Like most things it's all about being informed, and doing your research before you buy. Make sure you can find local support for any type of boat you're thinking of buying before you make your decision.

The Mercury motor can go be good or bad depending on how many hours it has and how it has been treated (just like most things). If it has low hours and has been maintained well it's a great motor. They have lots of power and are very reasonable on fuel. Mine only has the 200dfi in it, and I can pull my three hundred pound brother out of the water on a wake board with no problem at all. Mine will also due 44.6 mph on the GPS. There are also a number of custom river boat companies that still swear by the Mercury Sport Jets, one of them is just north of me in Red Deer Alberta. If you want to see some of them in action look for videos of Outlaw Eagle jet boats on You Tube.

Now the bad part about the Merc is it is an Optimax outboard motor power head sitting on top of a jet pump, and as such can be very costly if anything goes wrong. You will need to find a mechanic that has a good knowledge of the Optimax outboard to give the engine a check over before you write a cheque for the boat. Also forget trying to get the motor serviced at, or getting parts from a Sea-Doo dealer, they wont touch them. Snipe put some links for Crowley Marine in this thread to order parts through. Most of the local Mercury dealers I have talked to on the phone have no problem with working on or getting parts for the Sport Jets, but make a few calls locally for piece of mind.http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?t=10926

I'm not trying to scare you off as I love my Merc, I use half the fuel of all my friends boats and still have lots of power. I just want to make sure you get the Merc checked out. If it checks out, runs good, and has no smoke it will be a great boat. But if it shows any kind of abuse or smokes a lot on the sea trial walk away from it. Just for your info when you go see the boat, my 200 has ZERO smoke at cold start up or extended idle. It runs just like a four stroke, don't let them tell you that a lot of smoke is normal for a two stroke...It's NOT. A small amount of smoke on cold start would be acceptable, but that's it.

Hey guys, i have a 2000 seadoo speedster with the v6 efi, i am having a couple of issues with it and i am hoping you guys can help and am used to working with the bombardier engines and this one is confusing me. the boat was idling too high before it went under, and now that i have properly cleaned everything out and got the engine to run again, the motor is idling at 2900 rpm. not only that it seems that it is smoking a bit more than it did, now this might not be from the water that got in it, could be from all the people trying to mess with it while it was sitting out being fixed. if you guys can help i would be more than grateful.(Idling at 2900, and smokes alot) and one more questing where do i insert the hose when i want to turn it on outside the water. any diagrams that you guys may have would be awsome.

HI Rookie I have a question I have a 2001 seadoo challenger1800 w/ 240hp non efi engine can you tell me if other than the efi are there seperate repair manuels for this boat also how realiable were the non efi or what else should I know about the 240 non efi I am reading about the oil gear. I am a newbie here... and am reading as much as I can my 1800 also has trim tabs installed from the prev owner
Al

Was on the jet boat forum, those guys love the 240 EFI (2003 speedster 16")
But searching this site it seems like there may be major problems with the merc 2 stroke motors. We are looking at a 2003 Speedster 240 EFI, with 50 hours on it for 11800.00. Any advice?
Thanks

I think the 2003 240EFI is a pretty good motor. It has the electric oil pump vs the gear driven oil pump on the earlier motors. It has an alternator and not a stator which helps with the electrical system. I had to replace mine ($104, new from a place in Georgia), other than that, I replace the plugs each year and keep the oil tank filled with Quicksilver Premium Plus. I had it out about a month ago and it ran at 47.9mph(GPS). We pull our kids on a towable and while doing that we go through alot of starts and stops and the engine starts right up each time. We run in both fresh and salt water. The jet pump maintenance is the same with the 200/240/250 motor. As they have said, take the maintenance in stride and the motor should serve you well.

Hey guys, i have a 2000 seadoo speedster with the v6 efi, i am having a couple of issues with it and i am hoping you guys can help and am used to working with the bombardier engines and this one is confusing me. the boat was idling too high before it went under, and now that i have properly cleaned everything out and got the engine to run again, the motor is idling at 2900 rpm. not only that it seems that it is smoking a bit more than it did, now this might not be from the water that got in it, could be from all the people trying to mess with it while it was sitting out being fixed. if you guys can help i would be more than grateful.(Idling at 2900, and smokes alot) and one more questing where do i insert the hose when i want to turn it on outside the water. any diagrams that you guys may have would be awsome.

Depending on where the waterhose connector is placed. The mercury hose connects to the starboard side of the engine. From there the water connector can be placed in different points in the engine bay area. In the picture I have attached you can see that my waterhose connector is on the top, aft, port side of the engine bay. It could have just as easily installed on the starbard side or outside of the enclosed engine compartment. Start on the starboard side where the pump and motor meet, about centerpoint (just below the actual engine head) and you should see the attachment point, follow the hose from there.

I have a 2000 Seadoo Challenger with the merc 240 EFI M2Jet i just went through a rebuild. I bought the boat for $8300... I Love the boat its lots of fun. I got probably 10-11 tanks of fuel through it and one of my pistons fell apart.... I have the model with the plastic gear on the crank the drives the pump when i pulled it it was worn 90 percent worn..Which caused a low oil flow... all parts replaced and running again but if its the model with electronic injection i guess you dont have to worry as much... I dont kno the amount of hours it takes to wear away them... or you can premix but i love the power and the boat itself, i would say its a good motor just beware.

****I see you said 50 hrs thats not bad should be good for awhile and i think you have electronic i wish my boat had an hour meter on it!!!!****